1/9 Marines ride in memory of fallen brother

[thedrifter]

1/9 Marines ride in memory of fallen brother

8/11/2009 By Lance Cpl. Brian D. Jones , 2nd Marine Division
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. —

On April 22, 2008, Christian Haerter was in Sag Harbor, N.Y., listening to the news at work when a broadcast announced two Marines were killed in Iraq. Christian took a step outside for a breath of fresh air and shortly afterward, saw a sight every parent fears.

Two Marines in dress blues were heading his way with his ex-wife, JoAnn Lyles, following closely behind in tears.

“You never see Marines here, not in the Hampton area,” said Christian. “Everyone that drove past knew exactly why they were here.”

On that day, their only child, Lance Cpl. Jordan C. Haerter, a rifleman with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, was killed during a suicide bomber’s attack in Ramadi, Iraq.

Jordan and another Marine, Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale, an infantryman with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, were manning a defensive position outside their unit when a suicide vehicle-borne IED roared toward the entry control point they protected. The pair remained at their post and poured fire into the oncoming truck, stopping the explosive-laden truck short of its intended target and forcing a premature explosion, thus saving the lives of several dozen Marines, sailors, Iraqi policemen and civilians at Joint Security Station Nasser.

For their actions that day, Haerter and Yale were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest award for battlefield valor.

“I’m absolutely certain that every moment of his life led up to those six seconds in Ramadi,” said Jordan’s father.

“He didn’t do anything different from what any other Marine would have done,” Christian believed his son would have said.

Just over a year later, emotions were high for both parents July 25, 2009, when 23 Marines who served in the same platoon as Jordan arrived in Sag Harbor – not as bearers of dreadful news, but to ride in the Second Annual Soldier Ride, The Hamptons, in honor of Jordan and his family’s sacrifice.

“I am thankful to 1/9 for supporting Jordan,” said JoAnn. “It puts life in me when these guys are around. They have taken me in as family, they’ve extended that to me and it’s really nice.”

The ride was an organized fund raiser for the Wounded Warrior Project and dedicated to the memory of Jordan. The fund raiser was a success, bringing in an estimated $230,000 in donations.

“The importance of this weekend was threefold,” said 1st Lt. Daniel J. Runzheimer, Jordan’s platoon commander. “Honor one of our brothers, raise awareness and support for wounded veterans and most importantly, to show Jordan’s family the Marine Corps does not forget its families.”

Sag Harbor welcomed the Marines from 1/9 with open arms, donating Marine Corps biking jerseys and the bikes they rode, as well as a dose of New York hospitality.

“[The ride] showed the support of the American public for its service members and we got to honor our fallen brother, Jordan C. Haerter, and ensure that he is never forgotten,” said Cpl. Corey L. Teague, a Marine who was saved by Jordan’s actions.

A bus full of wounded warriors from all branches of military arrived at the start and finish point of the ride, American Legion Hand-Aldrich Post 924. All riders with disabilities were provided the adaptive equipment they needed to cycle and led the Marines on the 65-mile ride through the Hamptons.

Local motorcyclists with the American Legion Riders of Post 924 cleared the roadway for the approximate 186 riders who participated. Another several hundred more participated in a four-mile walk or run event to help raise money for the occasion.

“It’s a huge honor to have Jordan’s name associated with something that’s going to help so many people, and having the Marines here made it very special to me,” said Christian.

Since their son’s death, Christian and JoAnn actively participate in anything they can to help make the lives of returning veterans better. Christian said he looks to veterans as selfless heroes, who sign up to serve their country during a time of conflict and do the job most people would never volunteer to do.

“It was important to be here for a good Marine and a better friend,” said Lance Cpl. Paul A. Mendenhall, one of Jordan’s fellow 1/9 Marines. “Any Marine who is a hero, such as Haerter, is worth being here to support him, his friends and family.”

Christian said the ride and other acts of strangers made him realize the wide impact his son’s life had on people.

“It’s unbelievable how Jordan’s life has touched others’ lives,” he said.

Christian went on to tell the stories of a stranger carrying a black case with a trumpet inside asking his permission to play taps over Jordan’s resting place, and how he has witnessed a retired master gunnery sergeant stop by Jordan’s resting place almost every day for a moment of silence.

Lance Cpl. Ernesto Trevizo, another Marine saved by Jordan’s actions, expressed how he and the other Marines would go to the end of the world and back for Jordan’s mother, if that is what it took to support her.

By riding with the wounded warriors to raise money and awareness, the Marines from 1/9 experienced many Americans’ gratitude. They rode not only in memory of Jordan, to give a little back to their brother who gave all, but also supported and paid their respects to his family, while meeting and thanking many wounded warriors for their sacrifices along the way.

“It is important now, but was equally important before Jordan’s death, that these Marines bond and form a tight family,” said Runzheimer. “They become responsible for one another and go to great lengths to take care of each other. When a Marine knows he is truly part of a family, there is no limit to what he will strive to accomplish.”

Soldier Ride is a program of the Wounded Warrior Project that provides key rehabilitation opportunities for this generation of wounded warriors and raises public awareness for those who have been injured while fighting overseas.

The Wounded Warrior Project is a nonprofit organization, whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors, offers numerous services and programs to assist injured servicemen and women upon their return and throughout their rehabilitation and to aid in the transition from hospital bed to an independent, productive life. More information can be found at: www.sr.woundedwarriorsproject.org. or www.empirestatechallenge.org

For more information on the II Marine Expeditionary Force, visit the unit’s web site at www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil.

Ellie